MP's backing for Free School Meals Campaign

Terry Rooney, Bradford North MP, joined Bradford CPAG members in the city centre on Saturday 22 January 2000 to help promote its Free School Meals Campaign. They were publicising the fact that the city's overall take-up rate of 74 per cent is lower than the national average of 80 per cent. In addition, a survey undertaken by Bradford CPAG revealed great variations in the way the service was delivered, and showed that some of the systems used to deliver the service stigmatised and discouraged children from eating meals to which they were entitled. However, publicity for their campaign action prompted the following good news story from a local school.

100 per cent take up success
'We now have a regular 100 per cent take-up of free school meals of the pupils in the school who are entitled to the meal.' wrote the Deputy Headteacher of Tong School in Bradford in her letter to Bradford CPAG branch. In response to the reporting of the branch's day of action in the local newspaper, the Telegraph & Argus, she more importantly wrote, 'We recognised the stigma still attached to the receipt of the prepaid tickets, and acknowledged that, as part of our commitment to equal opportunities, we needed to amend our practice urgently.'

The school's achievements were made by administration and teaching staff working together to deliver a service, which was non-discriminating. They got rid of the separate queue for free school meals and distributed dinner tickets in envelopes so there was no indication of who received the prepaid meal tickets. She concluded 'We have promised ourselves, as a school, we will never return to the old discriminatory and somewhat degrading practices of the past.'

It proves it is possible to turn around the current lack of take-up of school meals – around 20 per cent throughout the UK – if there is an assertive commitment by the school administration and staff.

Bradford CPAG is currently writing to other schools in Bradford to ask them what they are doing to maximise their take up of free school meals.

Meanwhile, Leeds CPAG members have been investigating the school meals service of some local schools. In one primary school out of 181 children 64 are entitled to free school meals. They found that most of the children take school meals. There is also an active awareness of the importance of nutritional value and the link to school performance. The school menu includes a wide range of choice, including halal meat, additive-free fruit juice is served and crisps and sweets are banned.

Leicestershire CPAG has been writing to their local MPs to get support for the campaign. David Taylor MP for North West Leicestershire replied saying 'The impression I have from having visited every school in North West Leicestershire is that take-up is in steady decline, which if not reversed, could lead to the end of the hot school meal and a decline in nutritional standards.' He finished by writing, 'My favourite school meal was made up of two things I haven't had for year – steak and kidney pudding, followed by chocolate blancmange topped with cornflakes. Neither are readily available in Westminster I'm sorry to say!'

In Scotland representatives from the Scottish Federation of CPAG Branches are meeting with members of the Scottish Parliament to present the arguments for the need for establishing a consultation process on nutritional standards, similar to the exercise currently been carried out in England and Wales.

Introduction of delegated school meals budgets

From April 2000 all secondary schools will have control over many additional aspects of their own budgets, including the provision of school meals. It will also be possible for primary and special schools to control their own school meals budget, although the general feeling is that most of them will opt to stay with the service provided by the local authority.

All schools that decide to opt into the meals service offered by the local authority will have their quality and performance monitored as part of the Government's new quality assurance initiative 'Best Value' enshrined in the 1999 Local Government Bill. Best Value offers an opportunity for parents and children to ensure that local authority catering services are providing a quality school meals service. But it will not apply to any school that does not want the service provided by the local authority and opts to have a contract with a caterer of its own choice.

Opportunity for local action by CPAG members
So this wholesale change in the way that school meals will be managed offers an opportunity for CPAG members to ask governors in local schools key questions about school meals' policies, whatever system that choose to operate. You could write to the chair of governors and ask what policies are being put in place for nutritional standards, meal pricing and non-stigmatising free school meal (which are in fact pre paid meals) provision from April 2000.

Nationally CPAG has been meeting with government officials to argue the case for the extension of free school meals to families receiving the new tax credits. Also, CPAG has been lobbying the Department of Education and Employment to commission some research into the lack of take-up by children entitled to free school meals. CPAG is further contributing to a working party set up by Sustain (formerly The National Food Alliance) to produce a report in response to the Government's 'Ingredients for Success' consultation on nutritional standards for school meals.

Campaign for Warm Homes Bill – to end fuel poverty by 2015

Now we can end fuel poverty: Friday 10 March key date

The campaign to end fuel poverty can be won. David Amess, Conservative MP for Southend West, who came fifth in the recent private members ballot, has adopted the Warm Homes and Conservation Bill. The Bill will be voted on in the House of Commons on 10 March 2000.

CPAG is one of eleven organisations represented on the national steering group, but many more organisations, such as Save the Children and SHELTER, support the campaign, played a prominent role in the campaign for the Warm Homes Bill. The aim of this campaign is to end fuel poverty by means of a national programme of home insulation and energy efficiency driven by central government.
Act now – write to your MP.

The good news is that 434 MPs have signed the early day motion posted up in the House of Commons over the past few months, but more importantly senior ministers have also individually backed the campaign and promised to end fuel poverty.

Winning the parliamentary vote on Friday 10 March will be crucial, but not easy. If you read this briefing in time then please phone, email, visit or write to your MP and see if they intend to turn up to vote for the Bill.

Write to your MP at the House of Commons London, SW1A 0AA. Tel 020 7219 3000. Or contact them at their local constituency office

A single MP can 'talk the Bill out' and ensure it falls. But a House of Commons' rule can prevent this happening if over a hundred MPs turn out up to vote for the Bill. And getting a hundred MPs in the House on a Friday afternoon is very difficult, but we can do it.

Voices for change

The UK Coalition Against Poverty 'Voices for Change' two year project is nearing completion. The aim of the project is to enable people who are experiencing poverty to join in the political debate and initiatives which affect their lives.

It is a unique project in that it has enabled people usually ignored by politicians, the media and other public forums, to draw up their own views and ideas on such questions as 'What changes would people like to see in their communities and how can these changes be brought about?

Evidence is now being taken by the Commission on Poverty, Participation and Power, of which, former CPAG Director Ruth Lister, is a member. When all the evidence has been submitted, the Commission will produce a full report in October, which aims to challenge the Government to take more practical steps to tackle the scandal of poverty and inequality in the UK.

For further information and membership details of the UK Coalition Against Poverty contact: Juliette Plumpton, UK Coalition Against Poverty, 17 Grove Lane, London SE5 8RD. Tel: 020 7703 5400 ext 2553

Food Poverty Network report

Sustain's Food Poverty Network has just published Developing Local Networks to Tackle Food Poverty. The report outlines the proceedings of five seminars which were held to bring community groups together with local and health authority workers and local business representatives to develop joint solutions to the problems many people face trying to eat a healthy diet.

Solutions included setting up partnerships to establish community-based co-operatives or cafes and linking into the development of local Health Action Zone or Healthy Living Centre programmes. It was agreed that community involvement and participation was essential to tackle the problem of food poverty.

A further series of community food seminars is being planned for this year.
For more information about the Food Poverty Network or to obtain a copy of the report, contact Victoria Williams on 020 7837 1227 or email Sustain at sustain@sustainweb.org

Child support reform

The Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill is currently being debated in Standing Committee in the House of Commons. Reform of the child support system is urgently needed, especially as the current scheme is characterised by error and delay:

• Nearly a quarter of Child Support Agency (CSA) assessments are incorrect.
  
• 1.8 million children receive no maintenance from their non-resident parent.
  
• Less than half of all non-resident parents pay all the maintenance due. 30 per cent pay nothing.
  
• Only 62 per cent of maintenance applications are cleared within the target 22 weeks.
  
• Nearly a quarter of Child Support Agency (CSA) assessments are incorrect.

The measures contained in the Bill are directed to providing a simpler, more efficient system of actual benefit to the poorest children. CPAG, therefore, gives overall support to the new scheme. However, we are concerned that some families will be pushed further into poverty and believe improvements can be made without undermining the principles of the new scheme.

In particular, we are calling for:

• Protection for second families on income support/income-based jobseeker's allowance. Under the Bill, all second families will have £5 deducted from benefit for payment of maintenance. We understand that the Government wishes to encourage compliance and to ensure that as many children as possible receive maintenance. However, these benefits already fall significantly short of the levels of income required to meet the needs of families. Deducting a further £5 will cause significant hardship. We, therefore, recommend including a £5 premium in benefit for payment of maintenance. A deduction can then be made without pushing the family further into poverty. We are also asking for increased protection, through the housing benefit system, for second families in low-paid work with high housing costs.
  
  
• Implementation of the child maintenance premium at the same time for all parents. The introduction of the child maintenance premium is one of the most welcome elements of the new scheme. CPAG, therefore, regrets that it will only apply to cases assessed under the new formula. Existing CSA customers will not be transferred onto the new scheme immediately on its introduction in late 2001. Nearly 400,000 parents with care on out-of work benefit will not have their cases re-assessed until some unspecified future date. CPAG believes this will lead to feelings of unfairness. Apparently similar cases will be treated differently – with some parents keeping £10 of their maintenance and some not. We, therefore, recommend that the premium should be introduced as early as possible, and for all parents with care at the same time.

The Bill will come back for debate on the floor of the House of Commons, probably in early March 2000. Contact your MP and ask them to raise these issues with the Minister and in the forthcoming debate.

For a more detailed briefing, please contact CPAG on 020 7837 7979.

News in brief

CPAG enters the race...
Debbie Taylor will be running in this year's London Marathon on 16 April on CPAG's behalf. We would like to get as many sponsors as possible to raise as much money as we can for our work. Sponsorship forms are available from: ksimkins@cpag.demon.co.uk.
CPAG wishes Debbie well in the event.

Ministry for Children in Northern Ireland
Over a hundred representatives from the voluntary and statutory sector, including Northern Ireland CPAG, and trade unions, attended the launch of 'Putting Children First' to urge the new Government in Northern Ireland to create a Minister for Children.

CAB award for Whitehaven woman
Citizen Advice Bureau disability worker, Audrey Ashbridge, who spotted an anomaly in the rules governing benefit payments to disabled people with children, which has been taken up by CPAG, has won an award for outstanding achievement.

Welfare Reform – the story so far conference was organised by Oxford CPAG on 8 March with guest speakers Mike Noble, Social Policy and Social Work Department, Oxford University and Fran Bennett, Social Policy Consultant.

Irvine & District CPAG is lobbying local MPs and MSPs to ask if they support the freezing of the minimum wage.

Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 1999, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and New Policy Institute, is now available from JRF, 40 Water End, York, YO30 6WP. www.jrf.org.uk